Colored Ice Cubes

Now that Chloe is getting a little older, I am trying to incorporate new learning activities.  The teacher in me is so ready to start teaching her things! I mean, I know she is learning new things every day, but I'm talking about me preparing something to facilitate learning.  However, I will say that I am also trying to just enjoy this time with her as a baby, because I know it will be gone too fast! 

This is something I tried on Monday.  Not my idea, not super difficult, aka PERFECT.  Colored ice cubes.  TA-DA! One drop of food coloring in each ice cube spot, fill with water, freeze, done.  Easy.

I got the idea from this amazing lady's blog.  She is awesome, seriously! 

I loved this idea because it promotes color exploration, sensory play (cold), and fine & gross motor skill practice.  Also, my little water baby loves the little pool in our backyard (we "swim" like every day!), and mommy was getting tired of the same old pool toys! :)

Heritage

Jesus Calling took me to Psalm 119:105 today. That section starts "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path"; one of my favorites!! As I kept reading, verses 111-112 intrigued  me.

Your statues are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.

The word heritage made me want to explore these verses a little further. And when I say "explore", I mean how the Holy Spirit is leading me, not anything very theological - I am CERTAINLY no expert on the Bible unfortunately.  I'm going to use Priscilla Shirer's 5 P's of devotional time (for more info on that read this blog).

Postion: Lord, help me to learn more about You today.

Paraphrase the text: Lord, your Word is my heritage forever.  It makes me joyful! I will follow You for the rest of my life..

Pull out the spiritual principles:

• Heritage means something you've inherited; legacy, something of value, a tradition, etc. So God's statues, His laws in the Bible, are something that I have inherited by being a child of God. God wants me to value His Word and what He says in it.  I read from the NIV version today.  The NLT version says it like this, "Your laws are my treasure".  I love this! God wants us to treasure His Word.
• God wants me to take joy in His laws.  The NLT says "they are my heart's delight". 
• I need to be determined to follow God until the very end... and beyond! 

Pose a Question:

Do I really treasure the Word of God like it is my heritage? The answer to that question makes me disappointed with myself, yet at the same time, SO GRATEFUL for God's grace over my shortcomings. How amazing is our God that He grafts us into His family when we become His children, and He gives us an inheritance of priceless value?! I am so undeserving.

Something that also has struck me about this concept is this: God wants us to treasure His Word; get to know it, spend time in it, learn it, practice it, etc.  Ultimately, His way of doing things is always THE BEST WAY! So learning His Word and doing "life" God's way is actually what's best for us.  It's what we need.  God knows this of course, which is why He tells us to treasure His Word.  He always wants what's best for us.  

Feeling very overwhelmed by His incredible love today, and so grateful for the inheritance my Father has given to me. 

Chloe's room

As you can see, I went with a yellow, grey, and white color scheme.  This was mainly because we didn't want to find out the sex of our baby.  After we had Chloe, I added some pops of pink and other bright colors with some accessories, i.e. hair bows! Here is my D.I.Y. hair bow holder: 

I made the "LOVE" canvas (get a friend to help you paint and stamp your baby's hands and feet! Thanks, Shantel!), hot glued a long ribbon to the back of the canvas, and voila! Hair bow holder.

My favorite part of the room is the gallery wall.  I made the "Chloe" sign by painting a yellow chevron design onto a foam board, then adhering the letters.  SUPER EASY.  

I am in love with the shadow box I made of Chloe's time in the hospital.  We were in the hospital  a lot longer than most (5 1/2 weeks in the NICU), so it was really important for me to try to capture that time and have it as a reminder of God's protection. I put her preemie onesie, hat, bili light goggles, bracelet, name tag for her door, and name tag for her isolette, as well as a picture from the day after she was born.  The background is covered in her hospital blanket that I saved. I typed up two verses that were very meaningful to us during that time (James 1:17, Psalm 112:7) and a little note about her weight, length, DOB, etc. 

My sister made the artwork that is over Chloe's crib.  LOVE it. Thanks, Molly! 

I really enjoyed mixing different patterns within this color palette. 

 I'm super happy with how it came out.  It didn't break the bank either! So hubby is also happy. :)